Cat Got Your Heart
by sofia313
Summary: After Celeste's death, heartbroken Elijah makes a new friend, but there's more to the furry creature than meets the eye.
1. Chapter 1

**This is probably a three shot, I'm not completely sure yet.**

* * *

New Orleans, 1820

Elijah couldn't feel anything when he walked across the street. It had been two weeks since he had buried his beloved Celeste and he was still trying to cope with his grief and anger. How was he supposed to forgive his brother for getting Celeste killed so brutally? He hadn't spoken a word to Niklaus after Celeste's death and he wasn't sure when he would be able to do that. Fortunately his brother had been smart enough to keep his distance. Rebekah had tried her best to comfort Elijah; she certainly knew how it felt like to lose a lover because of Niklaus. Elijah truly appreciated her efforts, but the truth was that he couldn't bring himself to tell her what he was really feeling. He simply couldn't upset her like that. Not to mention he had never really been comfortable talking about his deepest feelings with anyone. No, this was something he needed to handle by himself.

The sun would set soon and he really didn't have any specific place to go, he simply needed to walk. The problem was that there weren't many places where he could go without being somehow reminded of Celeste. Holding her lifeless body had truly broken his heart. She had been the first woman Elijah had loved for centuries. Unlike his brothers, Elijah didn't see women as some kind of commodity. That didn't mean he would have been some kind of monk, obviously he have had many lovers before Celeste. Maybe he hadn't loved them, but he had always treated them respectfully.

Celeste however he had loved with all his heart. And now she was gone… Rage was building up within him; he needed to somehow drown his pain. He didn't want to feel like this anymore. Well, he didn't really have to feel anything if he didn't want to… No, he didn't have to. It would be easy to end the pain. For a moment he was seriously considering it, flipping the switch. Why not? Niklaus always mocked his "nobility" and clearly his brother thought that he could do whatever he wanted without any consequences. Perhaps it was time to teach Niklaus a lesson he would never forget.

He was lost in his gloomy thoughts when he passed an alley and heard a weak sound. A meow. For some reason the sound made him to stop. The animal that had made the sound was clearly in pain. So what, why would he care about some stray cat? Another meow. He sighed in surrender, he wasn't a monster yet, was he? He had to look for a moment before he found the animal and he couldn't help but to startle. The white cat was lying on the ground, it was badly injured and obviously too weak to move. It was breathing heavily; blood had tainted its fur. Someone had really hurt the poor animal.

"Hey," Elijah muttered and kneeled next to the cat. Slowly it turned its head; there was nothing but tired surrender in its eyes. It knew that it was completely helpless and it seemed to be expecting more pain.

"It's alright," Elijah said and gently touched the cat's head. "I'm not going to hurt you."

For a moment the cat was looking straight at him with its bright blue eyes and let out a weak meow.

"It's alright," Elijah repeated and removed his jacket. Very carefully he lifted the animal up and wrapped the jacket around it.

"I'm going to help you, little one."

The cat didn't turn its eyes away from him; it was too weak to struggle. Elijah really wasn't sure what he was doing, all he knew was that he couldn't just leave the animal here to die. Carefully he carried it away from the alley and found a rental carriage to take him home. Fortunately he didn't run into anyone on his way to his room, he really didn't want to explain himself. Gently he placed the cat on his bed and examined its injuries.

"Well, it seems that you are a female," he muttered. He really didn't know much about cats, he had never had one. Horses were the animals he was most familiar with and he had often taken care of their injuries. The cat was looking at him calmly when he started to clean its wounds.

"I'm sorry," he said when the poor animal let out a meow of pain. "I'm trying my best to be careful."

He really couldn't understand who could have done this to an innocent creature. Not that he wouldn't have seen things like this before, sometimes humans could be just as cruel as or even crueler than vampires. Some of them actually took pleasure of hurting animals. The good news was that even though the cat was very weak, its wounds didn't seem to be fatal.

"There, all done," he said after he was finished.

The animal was breathing calmly; its bright blue eyes were still observing him.

"I think you need something to eat…" he muttered. What did cats eat? "I'll be right back."

He really wasn't sure why he was talking to the cat; he doubted that it could understand his words. He went to the kitchen and ran into one of their cooks, an elderly woman called Mrs. Bolton.

"Good evening, sir," the woman said respectfully, clearly she was surprised to see Elijah in the kitchen.

"Good evening. I… I need some suitable food for…a cat."

The woman's eyes widened, but she knew better than make any comments.

"Yes, sir. I have some meat stew, would that be alright?"

"Yes, whatever you have is fine."

Elijah was starting to feel uncomfortable, but he didn't show it. The woman quickly prepared him a portion of stew and poured some water into a small bowl.

"Here you are, sir."

"Thank you."

He headed back to his room, hoping not to run into any of his siblings. Surprisingly he didn't. The cat was right where he had left it.

"Alright…" he muttered and placed the plate and the bowl on the small table before lifting the cat up. It didn't resist in any way, it was simply observing him. He sat at the table and placed the cat onto his lap. It drank when he placed the water bowl in front of its face and ate too, but not very much.

"Good girl," he said and gently petted the cat. He was surprised when it started to purr.

"I think you need a name," he muttered. "I mean, I would like to call you something else than… a cat. How about… Charlotte?"

For some reason the name had just popped in his head, he had no idea if it was a typical name for a cat.

"What do you think?"

The cat was still purring, it rubbed its head against his hand.

"Alright, Charlotte it is."

He continued petting the cat after it had already fallen asleep on his lap. He looked at the creature and actually found himself smiling. How that was possible, he really wasn't sure. At first he felt guilty, how could he smile when he had just buried Celeste? But then again, he had also forgotten all his thoughts about flipping the switch. That was all thanks to Charlotte. He had never had any pets, but he couldn't deny how nice it felt to pet the warm little creature. Perhaps he would keep her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

10 days later

Elijah woke up early, as he usually did. The sun had barely risen yet, he had only slept couple of hours. He needed very little sleep. For a moment he simply lied on the bed and looked at the ceiling. The furry creature curled up next to him was still asleep; she always slept in his bed. Absentmindedly his hand petted the cat, making her to let out a little meow of protest; she didn't want to get up yet. He couldn't help but smile; he had really become attached of the little creature. Her wounds had healed very well; her white fur was practically shining.

"Alright, Charlotte," he said and stood up. "You go back to sleep."

The cat observed him lazily when he got dressed and brushed his hair. He had noticed that she was a very smart animal and a great listener. As ridiculous as it was, he had talked to Charlotte a lot, more than he had talked to most people, including his family. Talking had actually made him feel better and sometimes he could have sworn that Charlotte understood his every word. She looked at him so closely, jumped on his lap and rubbed her head against him, like she would have tried to comfort him. He had never thought that an animal could offer so much company.

He opened the window for Charlotte before heading to the kitchen. She was never outside for very long and she never left his room, like she would have understood that it wasn't safe. Elijah hadn't told his family about her, only couple of maids and the kitchen staff knew. He wasn't sure why he hadn't told his family, perhaps because he could guess their reaction. He didn't think that Rebekah would mock him, but his brothers surely would. Not that he cared, but he wanted to keep Charlotte safe. Just like every morning, the cook had Charlotte's breakfast ready. Elijah took the plate into his room and placed it on the floor next to Charlotte's water bowl. The cat was still lying on the bed; she had no intention of getting up yet. Still she purred when Elijah petted her.

"You are becoming a spoiled little lady, aren't you?" he stated.

She purred and rolled on her other side, looking more than pleased with herself. He smiled and headed to the dining room. None of his siblings were there this time in the morning, so he could enjoy a cup of coffee and the newspaper in peace. Rebekah was the first one who joined him; she was soon followed by Niklaus and Kol. Elijah greeted Rebekah and Kol, but he didn't say a word to Niklaus.

"Still not talking to me?" Niklaus huffed.

Elijah ignored him and concentrated on the newspaper.

"Come on, brother, this is ridiculous…"

"Leave him alone, Nik," Rebekah demanded. "He's grieving."

"I didn't kill his witch," Niklaus replied, he was clearly annoyed.

"You kind of did," Kol argued. "I mean, if you wouldn't have spread those nasty rumors about the witches…"

"Enough, Kol," Rebekah cut in. "Elijah…"

"Excuse me, sister," Elijah stated and stood up. He had no intention to have this conversation now; he wasn't ready for it. He didn't think for a second that Niklaus truly regretted anything, but still he knew that he would forgive his brother eventually. Not today though. Fortunately he had plenty of errands to run and people to meet. Most of the human rulers of the city, including the governor, wanted desperately to be on Niklaus' good side, but they still preferred dealing with Elijah. He really couldn't blame them, Niklaus wasn't exactly known for his patience or diplomatic skills. Ever since he had undaggered Kol few months ago, the two of them had mostly concentrated on "having fun".

Elijah had tried his best to clean up their mess, but after losing Celeste, he really hadn't cared so much. Still he felt that now he was slowly recovering and he could take care of his responsibilities. Right now the witch community was in chaos, the massacre of the witches had forced them to hide. Fortunately they didn't know that Niklaus had been the one who had started all the rumors; otherwise they would surely try to retaliate. Elijah was going to meet some of the witch elders today to express his condolences on the behalf of his whole family. Most of the witches had never liked Niklaus, but Elijah had always got along with them, especially after meeting Celeste. Still he knew that he would have a very long day ahead.

* * *

The sun had already set when Elijah finally returned home. It was the night of the new moon and the sky was very dark. Elijah truly hoped that the maid had remembered the feed Charlotte; he had never been away the whole day before. He was truly looking forward to sit on his favorite armchair in front of the fireplace and pet the purring cat. After today, he really needed to relax.

"Brother!" Kol's voice called when Elijah was heading to his room.

"Yes?" Elijah asked and turned to look at him.

Kol was grinning.

"Who is that in your room?"

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed, Kol had seen Charlotte.

"What were you doing in my room?"

"I was looking for you," Kol replied, he was still grinning. "Who is that?"

"My pet," Elijah replied coolly.

Kol's eyes widened, he was staring at Elijah disbelievingly.

"Your…"

"Laugh if you want, I don't care," Elijah stated. "Excuse me."

Elijah couldn't help but to feel annoyed when he marched to his room. Well, it didn't really matter, his siblings would have found out sooner or later. He sighed and opened the door to his room.

"Charlotte?"

Hopefully Kol hadn't scared the poor thing. Quickly his eyes scanned the room, but he didn't see the cat. What he saw made him froze. There was a naked young woman sitting in the corner, her legs were curled up against her chest and she had wrapped her arms around them. She was shaking and rocking herself. For a moment Elijah couldn't do anything except stare at her.

"Miss?" he finally managed to say.

Slowly she looked up and met his gaze. Her eyes… He recognized them immediately. No, this was impossible.

"Charlotte?"


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated much sooner, I haven't forgotten this story. Here's finally the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Part 3**

"Charlotte?" Elijah muttered disbelievingly.

The woman shivered, she looked nothing but relieved.

"It's you… Thank goodness, there was this other man here and I…" She paused and took a deep breath before looking at Elijah. "Could you be so kind and help me up? My limbs aren't working properly yet."

It took a moment before Elijah managed to react; his mouth was floundering open and closed.

"Yes… Yes, of course."

The woman was smiling insecurely as he approached her. He was still staring at her until his manners finally kicked in. She was naked. Quickly he removed his jacket and handed it to her.

"Oh…" she murmured. "Right… I forgot I don't have fur…"

He looked away and waited until she wrapped the jacket around her. His mind was still trying to comprehend the whole thing. This woman was his Charlotte… How had this happened? Had she been a human the whole time or…

"Could you help me up, please?" she asked coyly, cutting off his thoughts.

He turned to look at her and noticed that she was still shaking. The whole situation was more than strange and he had plenty of questions he wanted to ask, but first things first. After a brief moment of hesitation, he bent forward and held out his hand. Her hand was shaking as she took his. Carefully he helped her stand up, but her legs couldn't hold her, she would have collapsed if he wouldn't have quickly put his arms around her.

The next thing he realized was her warm body pressing against his. Despite of the whole situation, he couldn't help but to notice that she was a very beautiful young woman. Bright blue eyes, pale blonde curls, lovely face, womanly body… And yet this woman had been a cat when he had last seen her. He could easily hear her heart pounding, clearly she was nervous.

"It's…it's the transformation," she murmured and blinked rapidly few times. "It's very hard for my body, especially for my muscles."

"The transformation?"

She nodded.

"Yes, it's…a long story."

They were both quiet for a moment until he finally realized that she would probably like to sit down.

"Forgive me," he murmured after clearing his throat. "Here…"

He put his left hand on her waist to steady her and helped her walk over to the bed.

"Thank you," she said after he helped her to sit down.

"You're welcome."

They were both quiet again; she kept her eyes on the floor.

"So…" he finally started.

"I know you must have many questions, but may I just say one thing first." She paused and looked at him. "Thank you for saving my life. I am more than grateful for all the kindness you have showed me."

The gratitude in her eyes was definitely genuine, for some reason it made him uncomfortable.

"You're welcome. May I ask what you are?"

She bowed her head.

"I… I don't know. I was a normal human being, but I haven't been one for a very long time. Not since I was cursed."

"Cursed?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I'm a human one night a month, the night of the new moon, but the rest of the time, I'm a cat."

Elijah had seen all kinds of things, all kinds of curses, but never something like this.

"You were cursed by a witch?"

"Yes. A very powerful witch. My mother."

Elijah's eyes widened.

"What? Why did your mother do this to you?"

She sighed tiredly.

"Because I wanted to leave. I wanted a life of my own. She didn't agree, so she found a way to keep me with her."

"Does she live somewhere near?"

There was a glimpse of sadness in the woman's eyes.

"No, she's dead. Her magic kept her alive for many years, but not forever. She died two months ago. After that I was alone. I came to New Orleans because I heard that there are some powerful witches here, I was hoping…"

She didn't have to finish her sentence; Elijah certainly understood what she meant. She had hoped to find someone who could undo her curse.

"Did you find any witches?"

She shook her head.

"No. As you can imagine, traveling isn't very easy when you're a cat and…" She paused and shivered. "My mother always told me how bad place the world is and she only wanted to protect me. I suppose I never really wanted to believe her, but then I ran into these men. I was too stupid to be afraid of them. They hurt me and they laughed… I… I was sure that I was going to die in that alley."

Elijah felt nothing but sympathy for her, instinctively he touched her shoulder.

"Look, Charlotte… I'm sorry, I don't…"

"My name is Minnie," she cut in. "It's not as nice name as Charlotte…"

"It's a lovely name," Elijah assured.

"And yours? I mean, I feel that I know you, we have slept in the same bed and everything, but I didn't catch your name. I tried to, but…"

"You… understood everything I said?" Elijah murmured.

She looked surprised.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to invade your privacy, I just… You have a very soothing voice, I liked listen to you. But everything you told me will stay between you and me, I give you my word."

Elijah pressed his lips together, he wasn't comfortable at all. He had shared some of his deepest thoughts with Charlotte. Thoughts that he hadn't meant anyone else to hear.

"I offended you," Minnie murmured. "I'm really sorry, I'm new at this whole… socializing thing. The only person I have ever really spent time with is my mother, so…"

"You didn't offend me," Elijah assured. "But… I would appreciate if you wouldn't repeat those things to anyone."

"I won't, I swear. And… I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

They were both quiet for a moment before he continued.

"My name is Elijah."

She looked up and smiled at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Elijah. Do you think that I could maybe have something to eat?"

He smiled too.

"I think that can be arranged. And no need to worry, I will help you with the witches."

She looked surprised.

"I couldn't ask you to do that…"

"It's no trouble, I know the witch community."

That was true, but finding a witch who would be capable and willing to help… Not an easy task. Yet he was determined to try, how could he not?


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Minnie was breathing heavily, trying to cope with the pain. The sun had risen and she was a cat again. After all these years, the transformation never got any easier. If she would have been a human, she would have whimpered in pain, but now she was letting out weak meows.

"Hey…" Elijah's voice said.

Slowly she managed to open her eyes and saw him looking down at her. He hesitated for a moment before picking her up.

"Alright," he muttered. "I will just…"

Carefully he laid her down on the bed. Clearly he wasn't sure what to do; he looked at her, but didn't touch her. She met his gaze and let out a pleading meow. She wanted him to pet her; she liked how his touch felt. It had eased her pain even when she had been badly injured. He hesitated again before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well… I must admit that this feels a little…strange," he murmured.

She meowed again, this time more demandingly. The human Minnie would have never dared to demand anything from him, but the cat Minnie… It was quite confusing sometimes. She was somewhere inside the cat, but she also _was_ the cat. He smiled and gently touched her head. His touch made her to purr and rub her head against his hand. The cat Minnie loved to be petted, just as much as she loved warmth and comfort. It was the cat's nature. She, the cat Minnie, loved to be spoiled and taken care of. It was exactly what her mother had wanted, to keep Minnie as her child. Forever.

She had been almost 20-years-old and she had lived with her mother in a small cottage in the middle of the forest. She had lived there her whole life, isolated and far from other people. Her mother had always told her how dangerous place the world was and how bad all the people were. She had settled for that, convinced that her mother only wanted to protect her. How could have she longed for something she had known nothing about?

Then she had met Will, the son of the blacksmith. He hadn't been bad or dangerous at all. She had kept meeting him secretly, but unfortunately her mother had found out. What had happened after that… Minnie could still remember the shock after the first transformation. That had been over 60 years ago and she hadn't aged ever since. It was because of the curse. At first she had fought and tried to run, but her mother had kept the cat Minnie in a cage. For her own good.

Months had turned into years and slowly her spirit had been broken. Yet she hadn't given up completely, not before her mother had one night taken her to see Will. He had aged; he has had a wife and three children. Seeing him kissing his wife had broken Minnie's heart. After that she had given up. Her mother had convinced her that she was the only one Minnie had.

Years had passed and nothing had changed. She had begged her mother to undo the curse, but according to her, it was irreversible. Minnie didn't know if that was true, but she prayed that it wasn't. Her mother hadn't aged either until one day, two months ago, she hadn't come home. Minnie had found her lying on the ground. She had looked so…old. Minnie didn't really know how old her mother had actually been, she had always looked the same.

Despite of everything, Minnie had cried and mourned for her mother. Being all alone in the world… She couldn't deny that the thought had been terrifying. Things wouldn't have turned out well without Elijah. It made no difference to her that he was a vampire; she had truly been blessed for running into him. Yet she was ashamed, he probably saw her as stupid and ignorant. Well, she _was_ stupid and ignorant; she didn't really know much anything about the world outside her home.

None of that mattered to cat Minnie, she was purring with satisfaction as Elijah kept petting her. He had been kind enough to arrange her warm bath and dinner when she had still been in her human form. They had also talked, although she had felt clumsy and insecure for talking with someone other than her mother after so many years. He had promised to go to the witches today. The cat Minnie was completely relaxed now, all her pain was gone.

"Alright…" Elijah said after a long silence. "Stay here and rest, I will be back soon."

She blinked her eyes sleepily. That sounded like a good plan. For a brief moment she dared to hope that everything would be alright. She would finally be a normal human being again.

* * *

4 days later

Elijah was lost in his thoughts when he returned home. Another dead end, he hadn't found out anything useful. He had talked with few witches, asked them about this kind of curses, but they hadn't really been able to tell him anything he wouldn't have already known. Only a very powerful witch could curse someone like this.

The bad news was that it was possible that only the same witch would be able to undo the curse. Elijah truly hoped that wasn't the case. Some of the witches had been curious about why he needed this information, but he had only replied that he was doing a favor for a friend. What he would have needed was a witch he could truly trust. Unfortunately there wasn't a witch like that in New Orleans at the moment.

There was no way he would have jeopardized Minnie's life. At first he had found the idea of petting her, not to mention sleeping in the same bed with her, strange, but surprisingly he had got past that quickly. She had explained to him that even though she understood what people said when she was a cat, she still was…a cat. Petting her and talking to her felt somehow natural. He was determined to keep her safe.

"Elijah?" Niklaus' voice said. He sounded a bit cautious.

Elijah stopped and glanced at his brother.

"Are you talking to me already?" Niklaus inquired.

"No," Elijah replied coolly and turned his back on his brother.

"Wait," Niklaus sighed. "Look, I didn't mean for that to happen. I apologize."

Elijah had to admit that he was surprised, although he didn't really believe that his brother's apology was sincere.

"What do you say, brother, can we leave this behind us already?"

"I will think about it," Elijah replied and headed to his room.

The truth was that he hadn't really thought about the whole thing for the last four days. Perhaps it was time to make peace with his brother. After few more days, he didn't want to let Niklaus off the hook too easily. Obviously Elijah hadn't forgotten Celeste and he never would, but it was very exhausting to hold a grudge. Niklaus was his brother, his family. He sighed as he opened the door to his room. He froze when he saw Kol sitting on his bed. Minnie was in the corner, hissing at Kol. She ran to Elijah as soon as she saw him and jumped into his arms. Clearly Kol had scared her.

"It's alright," Elijah murmured and touched her neck while glaring at his brother. "What are you doing here?"

Kol smirked and kept his eyes on Minnie.

"Nothing, I was simply curious to see if your…pet is still here."

It took a brief moment before Elijah understood what he was talking about.

"There's no one here," he stated coolly.

"Is that your cat?" Kol asked innocently.

"Yes. Goodbye, brother."

Kol raised his eyebrows.

"Well, someone is tense this evening. Fine."

Lazily he stood up and walked over to the door. He stopped in front of Elijah.

"Cute cat," he hummed.

"Don't come to my room again when I'm not here," Elijah replied harshly. "Is that clear?"

"Sure, brother. Good night."

Elijah pressed his lips together and closed the door behind Kol.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly while observing Minnie.

She looked at him and meowed. Thankfully she seemed to be alright. Gently he placed her against his chest and carried her to the bed.

"I'm sorry if my brother scared you," he murmured, hoping that he would at least have some good news for her. Unfortunately he didn't. Not yet. She seemed to sense that as she curled up onto his lap. He had somehow assumed that he would be able to help her as soon as he would find a witch. Unfortunately things weren't that simple. Then there was his family… Should he tell them about her? For some reason he didn't like the thought at all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

3 weeks later

"Here," Elijah said while gently covering Minnie's naked body with a blanket. He didn't look at her; she was lying on the floor in a fetal position. She had just transformed into a human, her whole body was shaking and she was panting heavily. Few tears were streaming down her face, clearly she was in pain. Elijah felt helpless; he didn't say anything before she looked at him.

"May I lift you up?"

She nodded weakly.

"Yes, please."

Putting his arms beneath her, he lifted her up and as gently as he was able he carried her across to the bed and laid her upon it.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

She hesitated for a moment before replying.

"I…"

"Please tell me."

A flush was rising in her cheeks.

"If it's not too much trouble, do you think that you could maybe….pet me?"

His eyes widened, he didn't manage to hide his surprise.

"I'm sorry, I just like how your touch feels…no, no, I didn't mean…I mean…"

Her face was bright red now.

"It's alright," he assured smiling. "I think I understand what you mean. Is there some specific spot…"

"Anywhere is fine, thank you," she murmured, she wasn't looking at him.

He couldn't deny that the whole situation was quite strange. There was a beautiful naked woman in his bed, asking him to pet her. He had no doubt that most men would have been thrilled. Many of them probably wouldn't have any problem taking advantage of her. She had lived a very isolated life and Elijah doubted that she had come across many men. Not to mention she was in a very vulnerable position. She needed his help. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers up and down her arm.

"Is this good?"

She nodded.

"Yes. Thank you."

She let out a sigh as he continued touching her. He was somewhat surprised to notice that her body was slowly starting to relax. Her skin felt pleasantly soft and warm under his fingers. Like a cat, she tilted her head and closed her eyes as his fingertips tickled her collarbone. This was definitely becoming improper.

"Are you feeling better?" he murmured, trying his best to sound calm.

She opened her eyes, looking quite embarrassed.

"Yes. I'm sorry…"

"No, no, there is no need to apologize," he assured. "I hope I wasn't too…intrusive."

She smiled and shook her head.

"No, you weren't."

They looked at each other for a moment before he spoke.

"I am really sorry I don't have any good news for you."

She already knew that he hadn't had any luck with the witches; he had talked to her every day.

"That's alright," she replied. "Thank you for trying, I'm truly grateful for that. And everything else. You are an angel."

"I'm really not," he murmured.

She smiled and touched his hand.

"I think you are."

Elijah didn't have time to reply when Kol's voice spoke.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Minnie startled and took a hold of the blanket that was covering her body. No more than a second later Elijah was on his feet. Kol was standing few feet away from the bed, curiously observing Minnie.

"Get out," Elijah commanded icily.

"That's a nice pet you got there," Kol stated cheerily, ignoring Elijah's demand. "I could take a pet like her. Does she give you a little…catnip in exchange for the accommodation?"

Minnie blushed and wrapped the blanket tighter around her as she got into a sitting position.

"I was kidding!" Kol chuckled as Elijah's eyes narrowed. "No need to worry, darling, I am sure your virtue is perfectly safe," he continued and winked at Minnie.

"Kol…" Elijah warned.

"Alright, alright," Kol sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "I am going. You know I have traveled a lot and learned all kinds of things about magic. I suppose you are not interested in hearing what I know about her curse…"

"Wait," Minnie said before Elijah managed to speak. "Please."

Kol's lips curved into a charming smile.

"As the lady wishes."

Elijah felt strangely tense, he glared at his brother.

"You know?"

"I am neither blind nor stupid," Kol huffed. "And I have a very…shall we say friendly relationship with few witches. They like to talk, if you know what I mean."

Elijah crossed his arms. Of course, he should have known.

"What do you know?"

Kol raised an eyebrow.

"Where are your famous manners, brother? I would imagine that the lady would like to get dressed first. Not that I personally have any problem talking to her like this…"

"Forgive me," Elijah said to Minnie, ignoring his brother. "I have clothes for you, I meant to…"

"I know," she replied smiling. "You showed me some of the dresses, they are very beautiful."

"So are you, darling," Kol stated smoothly.

"Enough, Kol," Elijah snapped.

"What? I was merely being honest. The lady is truly lovely." He paused and smiled at Minnie. "What is your name, darling?"

"Minnie," she replied.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Minnie. I'm Kol, Elijah's younger and more handsome brother."

"Enough already," Elijah snorted. "Please forgive my brother."

"That's alright," she assured.

Elijah tensed even more as he noticed that Kol was still smiling at her. For some reason his first thought was to grab his brother and throw him out. He wanted to make sure that Kol would leave Minnie alone. Because he knew Kol and the way he toyed with women. Because it was Elijah's responsibility to look after the poor girl, he was all she had. Yes, that was the only reason.

"Are you feeling strong enough to get dressed?" Elijah asked.

She nodded.

"Yes."

"Alright, the dresses are in the closet and there's a warm bath for you in the bathroom, I will arrange you something to eat while you bathe."

"Thank you," she replied and carefully stood up. Her legs were still shaking a little as she walked over to the closet and opened it.

"I will be right back," she said after picking up one of the dresses.

"We will be waiting," Kol said before Elijah managed to reply.

"Stop it," Elijah hissed as soon as Minnie had closed the bathroom door behind her.

"What?" Kol asked innocently.

"You know what and I am warning you, do not even think about it."

Kol smirked.

"Oh, does someone fancy the pretty little kitty?"

"She is an innocent girl, you will leave her alone," Elijah replied coolly.

"You want her for yourself? Is that it, big brother?"

"What I want is to keep her safe."

"Of course, who wouldn't? I bet she will repay your chivalry generously."

"Watch your tongue," Elijah snapped.

"Oh my," Kol chuckled. "You really do fancy her."

Elijah didn't reply to that, he wasn't pleased at all. Unfortunately he needed the information Kol claimed to have. Hopefully he would know how to break her curse.


End file.
